An FIR was lodged against Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel in Lucknow’s Hazratganj police station on Sunday for violating prohibitory orders during her visit to the capital city of Uttar Pradesh. It is the first time that a complaint has been lodged against any union minister by a police inspector.

According to the SP East Shivram Yadav, Patel was received by a huge crowd and large number of supporters at the Amausi Airport on Saturday. This was her first visit to Lucknow after being elevated as a minister in the Cabinet of Narendra Modi government. The reception of the Apna Dal MP from Mirzapur caused a huge traffic jam in the areas adjoining the airport.

From Amausi, Anupriya along with her fleet of cars went to garland the Sardar Patel Statue in city’s Hazratganj area. As the union minister did not seek prior permission from state authorities for her visit to the capital, her surprise arrival in one of the prime area of the city caused a massive traffic jam and blocking of vehicles, the officials said.

SP Yadav said that the city administration had already enforced Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Force to prohibit assembly of more than 5 people in Lucknow, hence creating a traffic jam is a criminal offence.

Inspector in-charge at Dar-ul-shafa outpost Sanjay Gupta lodged the FIR against the union minister, one MLA and other party workers under IPC sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 341 (wrongful restraint), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) at the Hazratganj police station.

While on its way to the Sardar Patel statue, Anupriya’s caravan was stopped by the traffic police due to metro diversion which resulted in verbal dispute between her party workers and the officer on duty. After garlanding Sardar Patel’s statue, she went to the office of Ambedkar Mahasabha.